Rural Column.

Clutha Leader, Volume IV, Issue 195, 5 April 1878, Page 7

Rural Column.

WHICH IS THE MOST -PROFITABLE BREED OE FOWLS ? It is manifest that we must choose one of those breeds whose mission in life is apparently to produce eggs at their master's pleasure, and from whom human art and skill have taken away the natural desire of sitting. A tabulated form, in which is a scale of the merits and demerits of each breed, will probably show in the simplest manner an answer to the question: Take the following breeds as tbe representatives of the non-sitting class : —

There is so little difference in these six leading varieties of layers that there is no necessity for a wider variation of the scale in the above table. The figure 1 will represent the highest excellence in each characteristic, the figure 3 the lowest. Of course there is wide room for difference of opinion as to the merits of tbe various breeds specified, but the general experience of the writer is in accordance with the table — the Pencilled Hamburgh ranking first as a layer, but last in size of the egg and in hardiness ; the Spangled Hamburgh being equal to the black except in the quality of flesh ; the Leghorn being the equal ofthe Spanish in this last characteristic; the Minorca scaling the highest in all points except that of laying, and being equal to the Leghorn in hardiness. Alb being unreliable and almost worthless as sitters, no comparison is made between them in this respect. The Polish being but indifferent layers in winter, as a rule — to which, however, there are many exceptions — have been omitted from the above list. G. H. C. (in Pet Stock Bulletin).

THE RIGHT EJND OF POULTRY FARM. (from the illustrated book op poultry.) A considerable number of trees for shade and shelter from rain (for it is not desirable the fowls should be forced into the houses in rainy weather) are needed, and crop-bearing trees would be necessarily selected, which should not ©niy shelter tbe birds but at the same time yield a considerable return of their own. Apples, pears, plums, and cherries would probably be the standard trees ; and a clump of filberts should also be in every run, to afford better shelter than standards would give. In this way alone at least 5 per cent, on the capital would be obtained, which only assumes 30s worth of fruit from each half- acre run. We may be asked, " Who is to think of all these things ?" We reply that if poultry farming is ever to pay it must be conducted like every other kind of wholesale business, and every possible thing* must be thought of by which returns may be increased, or expenses may be"' saved. It is by reducing everything to well-ordered system, in which everything necessary is done at the smallest possible expense — or, to put it in a plain way of our own, in which capital is freely employed to save expenditure of revenue — that the leviathan establishments which are the. pride of civilized nations have been built up and yield thfe large revenue which they do to their princely owners j but the difference is this, that while the perfect system in these giant manufactories has been slowly matured, and is the perfected product of long experience, in poultry farming on a large scale we have no successful experience to fall back upon. Such experiments as have been made were failures; and it is therefore all the more necessary to supplement such a want by the most anxious thought and care, regarding all details which can bear upon the result. As to how I turned the scale of loss into more or less profit on my farm, I have to thank the late Mr Joor, . of Ayle'sby, for the hint of how to do it. Some years ago he gave an amusing account in reply to a question as to what he did with the straw, " Eat it," he replied, "but I was always obliged to buy hay before the, year was out, so I complained to the head . horseman ! '•*" Oh, he was sure it was not him, as he was most careful; itwas the cowman.' When I went to the cowman, the cowman said it was not him— it was the shepherd, and so on ; so I gave positive orders that no stack should be tapped ..without my orders. ...The result was that, l, had plenty for, everything, and .. bought no more." "But how do you manage ?"•* he wag asked. " I 'told my horseman,-'** replied h<3', f Mhat he might have as much pulp and chope jas ever he pleased^ and in lieu of hay lie might give ; hißihorseßichaff,iwithr'a pound or

, : two of linseed, cake per horse, dissolved , over night in a bucket of cold water, . then sprinkled over the cba'ff." Well, ■ sir, I did exactly the same with this re- ' suit— that, I sold .£l5O worth of hay, > which converted my loss into profit. I ' introduced the same economy with regard to my cows, and reduced the c»ke the cowman was in the habit of giving i his stock, whereby he made them so fat that they would neither breed nor mille, to exactly one-half — Field. It is the opinion of an intelligent dairyman that there is a difference of two quarts of milk a dav between a cow comfortably housed and the same one exposed to the cold for half the day, as we see them. One way for the farmer to make the : agricultural coloums of permanent value to himself is to prepare a scrap-book into which may be transferred those bits of experience, statements of fact, and suggestive, praragraphs which seem to meet his own peculiar wants. — Chatham Courier. An American paper states that on jone square mile Austria produces 3796 head of stock.; Prussia, 5537 ; France, 5970; and Great Britain, 11,447. -In Belgium a square mile produces means of nourishment for 7345 persons ; in Poland farming produces food for only 2229 per square mile. Land and Water makes the curious statement that in certain English counties whence the chief supply of geese is drawn, young children are frequently detained from school or work that they may lie in bed by turns for the sole purpose of hatching goose eggs placed there with them ! The agriculturists, in many parts of Hungary omitted to sow this autumn, partly because they knew that the crop would be lost by a plague of mice, and partly in order to starve out the vermin. Tn Bohemia and Silesia the same state of affairs exists. The King of Sweden bas created a new decoration— a medal which is to be distributed amongst such farmers in Norway as particularly distinguish themselves in the cultivation of their land. The English feed for fattening sheep consists of cotton seed and turnips. They claim that it will put on the most fat, is the safest feed, makes the best mutton at a less cost, and produces the best and strongest manure. Mr Wru, Whitely, "the Universal Provider," of Westborne Grove, is erecting buildings for the manufacture or cleansing of straw and manure. It appears that tho company has arranged with different contractors to receive from them stable or other stravvey manure, which is passed through the machinery and the ammonia (so it. is alleged) is abstracted, and the straw is left fit for reuse, the short or broken parts being used for making paper. The pure manure is compressed into bales of 2 cwt. each which may be sent out for agricultural and gardening purposes. In order to give information for a farm paper it is not necessary, by any means, that you should be a scholar or even a fair writer. • The main thing is to supply facts ; plain, every-day, common sense facts. If you have found that your stock thrive better by a certain kind of treatment ; if you have found that certain crops pay better than others ; if you have a preference for a certain class of stock because they have yielded greater returns than others — give the facts in the case ; let others profit by your experience. Just state the plain circumstances. Your communications will be warmly welcomed. We especially de-,,-sire our readers to write out the result of their season's labour, the new facts they have discovered, the mistakes in theory and practice they have detected, and, in general, any useful facts which can be of benefit to their brother farmers. Tbe only safe way, if improvement is the object, is to breed from full-blood males. Always use such, and the pure blood will rapidly gain the ascendancy. We imported more than 30,000 horses from abroad in 1876, and more than 24,000 during the first eight months of this year. On an average, between 2000 aud 3000 British horses are annually sent to foreign parts. The number of horned cattle has largely fallen off, in spite of the temptation of the high price of meat; and in some Counties it is stated that many farms have changed hands during the past year, and others have remained untenated, and therefore uns'tocked. — Agricultural returns of Great Britain. The farmer who calculates to make his. living by farming cannot afford to lose a knowledge ofthe best methods in practice, and he cannot hope to learn these methods by his own experience, even if that experience be a rich one. He cannot afford to lose the money which he certainly will by selling his produce blindly, without knowing, the : conditions of the market and the things which affect its rise and fall. If he is ' successful without taking a paper, it is because he gets his information from those who do. ' Any' farmer who may have taken this paper for only a short period can recall the numberless ways in which he may have taken advantage of hints and facts noted in the various departments, and turned them to profit.. . — Detriot Free Press. - ' System on the Tarm is essential to permanent success. Whatever; branch : of farming is selected should Ye stuck to, if only moderately successful; A I man is constantly learning in a business :

to which he. gives habitual attention, and this knowledge is a part of his j oapital just as much as. the money invested in stock, tools, or buildinjrs. The man who makes wheat a leading crop, by studying to lessen the cost of production, by experience in tbe best methods of preparing the soil, the use of manure, aiid the cultivation ofthe crop, can raise wheat cheaper than his neighbour, and though selling it ar, rhe same price, will realise a profit, when they barely escape a loss. On tbe other band, tbe man who is ever ready to abandon his usual practice, in order to follow something that puys exceptionally well at the moment — such as sheep husbandry, or hop-culture, when mutton, wool, hops are fetching high prices — i-. pretty sure to lose money in the long run, either through ignorance of the best methods in his unaccustomed occupation, or an unforseen fall in the price of the products. Sucb ventures are of a speculative nature, and the steady-going farmer cannot safely afford to be a speculator. — .Rural New Worker.

Leghorns . . . . 3 2 3 1 9 Spanish .. ..2 1 3 2 8 Hambvirghs, Spangled.. 2 2 2 2 8 Hatnburghs, Pencilled. .13 2 3 9 Hamburghs, Black . . 2 2 1 2 7 Minorcas . . . . 2 1 1 1 5